This is Awkward
by MySanityIsAMatterOfOpinion
Summary: Slytherin is placed with Hufflepuff for potions. Draco goes to potions class. He meets a strange girl.
1. What

It was torture for him, pure torture to be in a potions class with Hufflepuffs. He didn't think he would survive. Snape had placed him next to an ordinary girl who had odd metal things on her teeth.

"Miss Katherine."

"Yes, sir," the girl next to him answered.

'Miss Katherine'? Why didn't he call her by her last name like he did everyone else?

"What is a bezoar?" Professor Snape asked.

"Um… I know it, I do… I swear, it's on the tip of my tongue," the girl, Katherine, seemed to think for a moment, "Oh! It's a something found in the stomach of a goat and it has nullifying effects on most poisons."

"Correct on its effects, but what is it? Draco?"

He spoke, "It's a stone, professor."

"Good. Now, I am feeling generous today so I want you all to get to know the person sitting next to you. It is not often the headmaster groups Hufflepuff and Slytherin together." He swept into his office.

A few stagnant moments passed.

"So… I'm Katie. I'm gonna assume you're Draco." The girl beside him said.

She was the first to speak.

"Yes." He answered stiffly.

"Cool, cool."

Another moment passed.

"Well, this is awkward."

He agreed.

"Okay, I know what you're thinking. 'Ugh, class with the Hufflepuffs. Totes boring. Worse than the Gryffindors. I can't believe this.' Although, probably much more refined." She giggled.

She stumbled over her words, seeming to stutter slightly on some of them.

"Honestly, though. I been paired with Gryffindors before, and they're worse than us Puffs," she said.

She spoke in a sort of rapid fire way. As if she had no reticence about what she was going to say.

"I mean, at least we Hufflepuffs know what two plants will explode if they go in a pot together."

That startled a chuckle out of him.

"Yay! I made you laugh!" She grinned, "That's another one of the bucket list."

He was suddenly confused.

She must have known… Somehow.

"A bucket list is a muggle expression of things they want to do before they die." She explained.

"So… I bet you're wondering why Professor Snape called me by my first name, not my last."

His eyes widened slightly. Was she a legilimens?

"Well, that happens to be because no one knows my last name, not even me."

"So I could be the descendent of the most powerful wizard in the world, or I could be the child of muggle. You'll never know. But… If I were you, I'd tread lightly 'round me."

"The bell's bout to ring, so I'd pack up if I were you."

The bell did indeed ring soon after that.

"And no," she said, giggling and grinning, showing off those odd metal things, "I am not a legilimens. Hard as that may be to believe."

Maybe, just maybe a potions class with the Hufflepuffs wouldn't be that bad.


	2. Huh

She had been walking to the prefect's bathroom when she heard quiet, almost silent, footfalls behind her. She had turned, only to see nothing. Thinking it was Peeves or something, she continued on.

"H-hey! Wait up!" A voice sounded quietly.

She flinched slightly, as the voice had honestly surprised her.

She looked around again, scanning the hall.

She turned back around.

"Hi there!"

"Ah!" She screamed and fell back.

"Oh, goodness gracious, are you alright?"

She looked up.

What she saw surprised her. She had been expecting a large man with bulging muscles with a knife, not a small statured girl in a bathrobe carrying a towel.

As she got up, without the girl's help, she noted just how tiny the girl was. Smaller than even her, and she was petite by pureblood standards. The girl's size wasn't natural, she was sure of it.

"So, u-um, what's your name?"

She stopped, then realized she had started walking.

"You don't know?" She asked.

"Oh, no. I do know. You're Pansy Parkinson. See, I'm the type of person who knows everyone, but no one knows me and could you maybe stop walking so quickly?"

"No, we're here anyway."

"Oh, coolios."

The two walked in, and Pansy couldn't help but notice their size difference again. It was unnerving to her. She couldn't believe no one had said anything.

"Aren't you coming?"

Apparently while she had been thinking the girl had undressed and gotten into the pool of water, which was already filled, strangely enough.

"Yes. Keep your robes on," She couldn't understand why she had said that. There was something about this girl that pulled on her softer side. She simply couldn't understand it.

"Um… I'm sorry to tell you this but they're already off," The girl was strange. Then she turned, her backside to Pansy.

She was shocked, and was stupid enough to show it. That surprised her even more. Her years of training to never show emotion failed her. Still, the only shift in her face was her eyes widening slightly.

Now, it wasn't as if there were scars or wounds all over the girl's back. Or, well, there might have been but Pansy would never know. As for the reason, it was because the girl had finally let her hair down. If Pansy had been looking she would have seen that, in the hall the girl had had her hair in a tightly wrapped bun. But now it seemed as if it covered her like a sheet. I blanketed down her shoulders and floated on top of the water. It looked as though it would reach the back of her knees if she was standing on the ground.

"How on earth did you get all of your hair into that bun?" She asked incredulously, whilst walking into the pool of warm water.

"Practice," The girl said simply.

"Well, if you were pureblood you'd have your hair in a different style every day, not just that plain little bun," Pansy was eager to know if the girl would let her get her hands on all of that hair. There were so many possibilities, so many intricate choices for all of that hair.

"Yeah, I wish I could. I love it when people mess with my hair. I let the kids back home do it all the time," The girl looked at Pansy, laughter in her eyes.

"Don't tell anyone, but I think the mermaid's jealous," She giggled, gesturing to the mermaid on the stained glass high above them, who sniffed and looked away.

"It wouldn't surprise me, because I am too," Pansy looked at the girl, who smiled at her.

"So, what is the name of the long haired girl?" She asked.

"Rapunzel," was the immediate answer.

Pansy laughed, then stopped herself. What was with this girl? How had she managed to get inside her mind and pull on emotions she hadn't felt in years? How? She was extremely curious.

"You know you're allowed to laugh, at least with me," The girl looked at Pansy, an unreadable emotion in her eyes, "I won't tell. I promise."

Pansy smiled, and for once it was a true smile. Filled with the happiness this girl somehow managed to bring out in her.

"So… Any chance I could get you to help me wash my hair?"

"Absolutely," Pansy stated, "just let me do all of it though."

"Alrighty, then," The girl, Rapunzel, as she had dubbed herself, waded over and sat on the step that led into the pool.

Pansy strode over, splashing water, and sat behind her. Summoning a vial of shampoo, she poured some into her hands and began her work.

It took a bit longer than she had anticipated.

"Alright, rinse," Pansy commanded.

"Thanks. Usually I just spell it clean." Rapunzel said.

"Why?" Pansy asked, though she was certain she already knew the answer.

"Because it takes too long to do it manually," She answered. With that she climbed out of the pool and began braiding her hair.

"Here," Pansy said, pointing her wand at the girl, "Plectere Capillos."

"Oh. Wow," Rapunzel said, feeling her braid, "It's perfect. I've got to remember that one."

"If you come again next week I'll show it to you," Pansy offered, knowing full well, that Rapunzel could easily just look it up in a book and never come back.

"That would be wonderful, and maybe I'll let you do my hair for the Yule ball," The girl laughed, her voice lilting.

Pansy watched as Rapunzel made her way to the door. When she looked back, Pansy looked away.

"By the by, my actual name is Katie," She giggled, "See ya later, new friend."

She skipped out the door.

Friend she had said. Pansy had a friend. A real actual friend.

Katie. Her name was Katie.

Pansy sighed, put her proverbial mask on again, and made her way back to a world of lies and deceit. She made her way back home. She allowed herself one more smile in the darkened silence of the school.


	3. Eh

He was walking over to the other side of the Black Lake, the opposite where the second assignment had taken place about a year ago. He was carrying a muggle backpack and he'd charmed it so it was bigger on the inside. He'd never let his companions see he owned it, though. He'd be teased endlessly. As it was, the backpack was extremely useful and currently he was carrying a multitude of items. He walked along, a book in his hands, reading as he strolled through the dark forest. His gait was that of the practiced ease of a person who often had in his hands. He was reading the age old tale of the Deathly Hallows. It was his favorite story and he had read it several times. He was so immersed in the plot that he almost didn't hear the singing.

He stopped, listened again, and he heard it. It was coming from the clearing he was headed for. Was he dreaming? He was sure that only he knew of the clearing. He needed to know what was happening. The voice was female and it had to have been human. A siren probably wouldn't have been this far onto the land and if it was a siren he wouldn't be thinking right now; he'd just be walking mindlessly. A siren was out then. It certainly couldn't have been a dryad; she'd have been warned of his arrival far before now. After all, dryads were extremely social creatures. At least, they were with their own kind. Dryads weren't very friendly with humans. It also explained why he only heard one voice. Dryads liked to be in groups.

He walked closer to the clearing. He was stunned at what he saw. He saw a young girl; she looked to be about two years younger than him. She was sitting on a small stump.

He stood transfixed, hidden in the bushes, as he watched the girl sing with an orchestra only she could hear. She was dressed in a blue gown that seemed to shimmer in the minimal sunlight. The sleeves were long and fitted. As was the rest of the gown, except for the skirt, which bordered the girls' calves and flowed like water.

She looked sad. The melody she voiced was melancholy, as if she was singing for a lost loved one. Her eyes were downcast.

"You can come out now," the girl stopped and looked directly at him. He silently came out of the bushes.

"Don't worry, Theodore Nott. I am not going to hurt you. In fact, the most I could do is attempt to bruise you," She said carefully. Her voice was serious.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but… How do you know me?" He asked, cautiously.

"Everyone knows the Slytherin clique," She said.

"Alright…" He wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't sure how the girl knew his name. Although… He did remember Draco talking about a girl he was paired up with in his joint potions class. Draco had seemed mildly on edge. Theodore was sure he needed to watch out. Apparently this girl was more than she seemed.

According to Draco, she had no last name and no one could find anything on her background. In fact, all anyone could try to do was pick up little hints in the way she acted. It was strange, the way this girl had been enrolled in Hogwarts for about three years now yet nobody knew anything about her. Not even the headmaster had one clue to this girl, except for her minimal file.

"You can drop your mask, you know," The girl seriously said, "after all, even I've dropped mine for today."

"Pardon me, miss, but what mask?" Theodore asked curiously.

"Mine or yours?"

Then Theodore remembered. Draco had said that the girl was always smiling. Maybe, perhaps, that was a mask. A way to cover something. A way to make people think that all was well in the world. In any case, that was what all the Slytherin's would do.

The girl in front of him was sad and muted, not the colorful version Draco and Pansy had always mentioned. And he knew this was the girl they had mentioned. She had the metal things on her teeth and the ridiculously long hair that Pansy would just go on and on about.

"Yours." He finally said.

"Ah, that's a story too long to tell," She said, as if trying to dismiss it.

Theodore decided to press the issue, "I've got time," he insisted.

"Alrighty then, I hope you've got food in that pack," the girl remarked.

The girl started to speak. Her story was sad. Yet, she only told him the bare minimum. She stood from where they had been sitting.

"Unfortunately, good sir, I need to be going," With that said, she walked away.

He watched her disappear into the forest and heard that melancholy tune start up again.

This girl really wasn't what she seemed.

* * *

Hi! Author here! I'm sorry this came out so late. I actually had it almost done but I couldn't get the ending right. So... It's rushed. It is so rushed. I'll probably go back and edit it later. Also, I don't want you guys to know Katie's story just yet. This fic is basically just oneshots that will all eventually tie in to each other.

**I do NOT own Harry Potter.**


	4. Wow

The time for the much talked about Yule Ball was here. The Yule Ball was so liked by the students during the Triwizard Tournament that the Hogwarts staff decided to keep hosting it.

This year Pansy was going with no one. She was going as a bachelorette for the first time. She always had a date. But this year, it would be different. This year, her only true friend had told her the wonders of letting go during a dance, and had introduced her to good wizarding music. Unlike that garbage they usually brought to Yule. But, Katie had told her of the amazing things she had done at previous Yules. One year, she had apparently helped spike the punch. Which was, of course, an absolutely hilarious story.

Pansy was very excited for this Yule. Besides the other things, going with Katie and shopping for the perfect gown, she was excited for this Yule because it was a masquerade.

She would finally get to experience real freedom, because no one would know who she was, and since they had magic at their disposal, she could grow her hair to a ridiculous length, like Katie's. She wouldn't want to keep it that way all the time, but for Yule she would do it so no one would recognize her. She would also change her hair to a lighter color, so as to better compliment her dress. Surely no one would know her.

* * *

The Yule Ball was in four days and neither of them had found a dress. She had given up and just told her seamstress what she wanted. She had also given her Katie's measurements and what she was looking for. She doubted that Katie would find what she was looking for in such a short amount of time. Pansy had instructed her seamstress to make masks as well. Now to wait.

* * *

"Oh, Pansy, I still haven't found a dress and the Yule ball is tomorrow! What am I going to do?" Katie groaned.

Pansy sighed, knowing she should tell her.

Katie groaned again, "I guess I just won't go."

"Katie," Pansy started, "there's something I need to tell you."

She looked down.

"Yeah?"

"I had a dress made for you."

"What?

Pansy didn't know how Katie would react. She was rather worried.

"I put in a request when I had mine made."

"Really?"

She looked up.

Katie had a massive grin on her face and hope in her eyes.

"It's in my wardrobe."

Katie ran over to inspect it.

There was silence.

"...Wow..."


	5. Ah

The train rumbled steadily along the tracks. The windows clattered quietly.

She looked out the window, watching the countryside roll by.

She looked at her friends, Draco and Theo, sitting across from her.

Draco was mimicking her, while Theo was reading, as per usual.

She wondered if she would see her before the train pulled into the station.

Her wandering mind entirely missed the compartment door opening and the person sitting next to her, until someone said, "Hiya, Pansy!"

She jumped, looking next to her to see the one occupying her mind. She then mentally reprimanded herself for dazing off.

"Hello, Katie," She said, as cheerfully as she could.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine-ish. The real question is how are YOU?" Katie emphasized the last word.

"What do you mean 'fine-ish'?"

"It means that it's an ish feeling! G'doy!" She giggled.

"Ish means in between good and bad," Theo told her.

"Ah," Pansy vocalized, though she didn't need to.

"Oh, hey guys! How are you all?"

"I'm alright," Draco told her.

"As you have said, it is an 'ish' feeling," Theo said.

"Aw, why is it an ish?" She asked.

"You tell me and I'll tell you."

"Mmm, I don't really want to."

"Fine, I'll go first. My father is in Azkaban and my mother is deep in depression."

"Ooch, that's way worse than what I have to go back to."

"And what do you have to go back to?" Draco queried.

"The orphanage..." Katie said quietly.

A stagnant silence followed.

"You're... You're an orphan?" Pansy asked.

"I'm last nameless. What did you expect?" Katie said hoarsely.

"Well, all of us thought you were joking," Draco told her.

"Yeah," She scoffed, "who on earth would lie about being an orphan? Tell me that!"

"I... I... I'm sorry," Pansy said.

"Why don't you come visit one of us for the holidays?" Draco asked suddenly.

Pansy took a sharp breath.

"Oh, gosh, what would your parents say?" Katie asked.

"You can come under the guise that we need to find out your last name. I have suspicions about your origin anyway, what with the magic you can do, and the heredity potion will take at least two and half weeks to make. My parents wouldn't dare to leave you to an orphanage while they think you're from an old family."

"I... I suppose I can't say no. Oh, goodness." Katie felt something in her chest rise up.

"O-oh, dear," She gasped.

Theo, who had remained quiet during this conversation, suddenly got up and crossed to where Katie sat. He sat down next to her and started rubbing her back.

"Oh," She took a deep breath, "gracious."

"Draco, I would love to come over to your house for winter holidays," She grinned at him.

He allowed himself to smile back.


End file.
